Resetting mechanism for counters



April 9 H. N. BLISS 2,932,448

RESETTING MECHANISM FOR COUNTERS 7 Filed July 6, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 1F/GZ c Q 5? 40 Q 4,2 m 54 A84 /24 J6 (I) 66 .56 42 43 j a) 38 m4 I ma A?.34,

A50 Aga L38 52 INVENTOR HARVEY N BL/SS BY WWW ATTORNEYS April 12, 1960H. N. BLISS 2,932,448

RESEITTING MECHANISM FOR COUNTERS Filed July 6, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 "gI INVENTOR HARVEY N. BL/JS ATTORNEYS April 12, 1960 H. NQBLISS 2,932,448

RESETTING MECHANISM FOR COUNTERS Filed July 6, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 3INVENTOR HARVEY N. BL/56 TTORNEYS United States Patent RESETTINGMECHANISM FOR COUNTERS Harvey N. Bliss, Windsor, Conn., assignor toVeeder- Root, Incorporated, Hartford, Conn., a corporation ofConnecticut Application July 6, 1955, Serial No. 520,290

19 Claims. (Cl. 235-144) The present invention relates generally toregisters and counters and, more particularly, to an improved resettingmechanism for registers and counters.

The resetting mechanism of the present invention is applicableparticularly to counters and registers of the type having a plurality ofside-by-side number wheels on a supporting shaft and wherein it isdesired to dis connect the number wheels from their respective drivinggears by shifting the supporting shaft and to reset the number wheels tozero by means of rotatable resetting members mounted coaxially with thenumber wheels which will pick up the number Wheel and rotate the numberwheel therewith to zero position. A more specific application of thepresent invention is in the reseting mechanism of the more modern typeof counter or register utilized in the gasoline dispensing field.

The aim of the present invention is to provide an inproved arrangementfor shifting the number wheel supporting shafts to disconnect the numberwheels from their drives and for picking up the number wheels to returnthe number wheels to zero whereby resetting of the counter or registeris facilitated.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more indetail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction,combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will beexemplified in the construction hereafter set forth and the scope of theapplication of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side view of a register in which the present invention isembodied;

Figure -2 is a plan view thereof;

Figure 3 is a side view of the register taken from the side oppositefrom that shown in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view partially in cross section of the numberwheel assembly taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 5--5 of Figure4;

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line (r-6 of Figure4;

Figure 7 is a perspective View of the rotatable wheel pick-up unit;

Figure 8 is a side View of an alternative pick-up unit; and

Figure 9 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 9-9 of Figure 8.

The present invention is shown in the drawings as embodied in a counteror register of the type which is described and claimed in my copendingapplication Serial No. 398,045, filed December 14, 1953, now Patent No.2,814,444, of which the present application is a continuation in part.In order that the present invention may be fully understood, adescription of much of the structure of the counter or register which isdescribed in detail and claimed in the said copending application isrepeated herein.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly Figures 1, 2 and 3 thereofshowing the complete register, the register or counter is mounted on aframe consisting of side plates 10 and 11 held in spaced-apartrelationship by spreader bars 12. In this particular embodiment, theframe has slidably journaled therein four axially movable horizontalwheel-supporting shafts 14, 16, 18 and 2b, the shaft 14 having mountedthereon a set of rotatable number wheels for registering the cost of thegasoline dispensed, these wheels being hereinafter referred to as thecost wheels C. Similarly mounted on the shaft 16 is a group of numberwheels which are utilized to register the quantity of the gasolinedispensed, which group of wheels is hereinafter referred to as thequantity wheels Q. In this type of apparatus, it is desired to provide aduplicate indication at opposite ends of the register so that theoperator or customer may read the indication from either side of thedispensing apparatus. Ac cordingly, the shaft 18 is provided with a setof number wheels corresponding to the cost wheels C, and these will bereferred to hereinafter as the cost wheels C. In like manner, the shaft20 has mounted thereon a group of number wheels for registering thequantity of gasoline dispensed, which correspond to the quantity wheelsQ, and these will be referred to hereinafter as the quantity wheels Q.

The manner is which the cost wheels C, C and the quantity wheels Q, Qare driven in order to register the cost and quantity of the liquiddispensed is best shown in Figure 2 of the drawings. Referring to Figure2, it will be seen that there is rotatably mounted midway between theends of the frame an upper cross shaft 32 and a lower cross shaft 34.The upper cross shaft 32 has fixed thereto adjacent the ends of theshaft a pair of gears 36, 36' which mesh with idler gears 38, 38 mountedon studs 40, 40, which are respectively mounted in the opposite sideplates 10, 11. The idler gears 38, 38 are in mesh with the driven gears42, 42 which are connected, respectively, to the wheel of lowest orderof the cost wheels C and C in a manner to be more particularly describedhereinafter. The shaft 32 has fixed thereto, intermediate its ends, abevelled gear 34 which is adapted to mesh with a bevelled gear on theout-put shaft of a variator or variable change speed gearing (not shownin the drawings) whereby the unit wheels of the cost wheels C and C willbe driven in unison at a speed commensurate with the price of thequantity of gasoline being dispensed.

In the specific embodiment shown, each of the number wheels of thegroups of cost wheels C and C is provided about its periphery withindicia consisting of the numerals 0 to 9 inclusive, and it is theintention that for each complete revolution of a number wheel of lowerorder, the wheel of next higher order will be rotated one-tenthrevolution. The transfer mechanism for transferring the count from thewheels of lower order to the wheels of higher order is somewhatconventional and includes the use of transfer pinions 48, 48 rotatablymounted on transverse shafts 50, 50 respectively. The transfer pinions48, 48 are formed with alternate wide teeth 52 and narrow teeth 54. Thewide teeth 52 cooperate with a locking ring 56 formed on the side ofeach of the number wheels and which prevents the transfer pinion fromturning except during a transfer operation. Upon each rotation of thewheel of lower order, the transfer pinion is engaged by a two-tootheddriving gear 58 on the wheel of lower order and situated adjacent a gap60 in the locking ring, which operates to impart a partial rotation tothe transfer pinion. The transfer pinion also meshes with the drivengear 42 of the number wheel of next higher order, thus advancing thenumber wheel of higher order one-tenth revolution each time the transfer pinion is actuated.

The quantity wheels Q, Q are driven in similar manner by gears (notshown) operated by a bevelled gear 66 fixed intermediate the ends ofshaft 32 and adapted to mesh with a bevelled gear on a shaft drivenwithout any variable speed change by the meter (not shown). As is wellknown, there is employed in gasoline dispensing apparatus a meterthrough which is passed the gasoline dispensed and which is rotatedthereby in an amount commensurate with the quantity of gasolinedispensed. The meter is utilized to drive the quantity registerdirectly, while the drive to the cost register is through the variatorwhich changes the speed of rotation in accordance with the price pergallon of the liquid dispensed.

The means to transfer the count of the wheels of lower order to thewheels of higher order in the groups of wheels Q, Q whereby each wheelof higher order will be rotated one-tenth revolution for each completerevolution of the preceding wheel of lower order is the same as in thecase of the cost wheels. The counter or register is provided with numberwheels of novel construction as best shown in Figures 4 to 6 of thedrawings. Referring to these figures, it will be seen that each wheelhas a hub 72 in which is formed a throughbore for accommodating thewheel-supporting shafts 14, 16, 18 and 20, the hubs being rotatable andslidable relative to the shafts. Each hub 72 is provided with a sidewall 74 and radiating webs 76 on which is mounted a cylindrical rim 78bearing the numerals or indicia hereinbefore referred to. The outerportion of the side wall is integrally formed with the driving gear 58and locking ring 56 previously referred to for cooperation with thetransfer pinions.

Mounted on the hub 72 on the opposite side of the side wall 74 is thedriven gear 42 which is freely rotatable on the hub, although it is heldin place axially by means of a ring 80. The driven gear 42 is formedwith an inwardly projecting annular ridge 82 in which is formed afrusto-conical band of fine V-shaped serrations or teeth 84. A pair ofradially opposite webs 76 of each wheel is slotted as indicated at 86for accommodating a pivoted driving pawl 88 and a pivoted resetting pawl90.

, Dealing first with the pivoted driving pawl 88, it will be noted thatit is in the form of a flat piece pivoted at one end to the hub forswinging movement in a radial plane which includes the longitudinalaxis'of the wheel. The free or outer end of the pawl is provided at itsextreme end with a number of fine V-shaped serrations or teeth 94 whichare complementary to and which are adapted to engage with the band ofteeth 84 on the driven gear. The pawl is normally urged into cooperativeengagement with the teeth 84 of the driven gear by a compression spring96 extending between the pawl and the side wall 74. Each of the pawls 88has adjacent its pivoted end a lobe or projection 100 adapted to extendinto the bore of the hub 72 for engagement with the supporting shaft.series of circumferential grooves 102 (one for each wheel) which freelyaccommodate these lobes when the shafts are in registering position asshown in Figure 4, the supporting shafts being axially shiftable aspreviously mentioned. When the supporting shaft is in the position shownin Figure 4 so that no pivoting force is applied to the lobe 100 of thepawl by the supporting shaft, the pawl is engaged with the teeth 84 ofthe driven gear so that a positive driving engagement is obtainedbetween the driven gear and the wheel. When the supporting shaft isshifted to the right, however, the lobe 100 of the pawl rides up on theperiphery of the shaft, thus pivoting the pawl and disengaging it fromthe driven gear, thus freeing the wheel from its driving gear andconditioning the wheel for a resetting operation.

Turning now to the pivoted resetting pawl 90, it will be seen that thepawl 90 is generally similar to the pawl 88 in that it also is formed ofa flat piece pivoted at one end to the hub for swinging movement in aradial plane which includes the longitudinal axis of the wheel. The pawl90, however, is made somewhat thinner than the pawl 88 for the reason tobe explained more fully herein- Each supporting shaft is provided with aa after. Like the pawl 88, pawl has a lobe or projection 92 adjacent itspivoted end which also extends into the bore of the hub 72 forengagement with the supporting shaft or a circumferential groove 102depending on the shifted position of the supporting shaft.

Each pawl 90 has associated therewith a plunger 98 which is axiallyslidable in a bore 114 in the side wall'74. The inner end of the plunger98 has a head 117 which is embraced by the finger-like projections 118of the pawl 90. The pawl 90 is urged in a clockwise direction as viewedin Figure 4 by reason of a spring 99 extending between the side wall 74and the pawl and surrounding the plunger 98. The plunger is urgedoutwardly of the wheel relative to the pawl by means of a spring 101 Asa result of this construction, the pawl 90 is normally urged in aclockwise direction so that, when its lobe or projection 92 is receivedin the circumferential groove 102, it will draw in the plunger 98.Conversely, when the pawl 90 is shifted in a counterclockwise directionby shifting of the supporting shaft, the plunger 98 is free to moveoutwardly under the influence of spring 101.

The purpose of the plunger 98 and its carrying pawl 90 is to providemeans whereby the wheel may be picked up and returned to zero positionby external resetting means. In order to retract the plunger 98 so thatthe wheel is disconnected from the resetting means and to hold the wheelwhen the wheel is returned to zero position, each of the supportingshafts has a properly located longitudinal slot 122 which issufliciently wide and deep to accommodate the lobes 92 of the pawls 90when the pawls are in radial alignment therewith. Accordingly, when awheel is rotated to the position where the lobe of the pawl 90 of thatwheel falls into the slot 122, the pawl immediately withdraws itsassociated plunger 98, thus interrupting any further resetting movementof the number wheel and holding the wheel in zero position. Aspreviously mentioned, the pawls 88 being thicker than the pawls 90 willride over and not engage in the longitudinal slot 122 and thus will notinterfere with the resetting operation.

The longitudinal slot 122 in each of the wheel supporting shafts isaccurately positioned in relation to the pawls 90 of the number wheelsso that, when the pawls engage in the slots, the wheels will be in exactzero position. The supporting shafts, although mounted for axialshifting movement, are retained against any rotational movement by pins123 fixed on the outer ends of the shafts, which are slidably receivedbetween ears 125 formed in the side plate 10 of the frame.

The shifting of the wheel-supporting shafts 14, 16, 18 and 20, in orderto condition the register for a resetting operation or to recondition itfor a registering operation, is accomplished by a mechanism disposed onthe exterior of the side plate 11 shown in Figure l of the drawings. Asshown in Figure 1, there is fixed to the main reset shaft 132 a cam 134of which a segment 13411 of varying radius cooperates with a roller 1360on slide 138 and a second segment 13411 of reversely varying radiuscooperates with a roller 13611 mounted on slide 138. Slide 138 isslidably mounted at its opposite ends on ears 140 provided on the sideplate. The arrangement is such that, as the cam 134 is turnedapproximately 80 in a clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 1, thecamming surface 134a will earn the roller 136a and hence the slide 138to the left, and conversely, when the cam is turned in a reversedirection, the camming surface 134]; by

actuating roller 1361) will move the slide to the right and return theslide to original position. An arcuate slot in the cam 134 accommodatinga stop 137 projecting from the frame limits rotation of the cam '134 andacts as a safety stop in the event the operator attempts to turn theshaft 132 too far. The opposite ends of the slide 138 are formed withnotches 142 for accommodating and engaging the tails of pawls 144 whichare fixed to upright shafts 146 journaled as at 148 at opposite ends onthe side plate. The extremities of the shafts 146 are provided with gearse ments 150 meshing with a series of circumferential teeth 152 on theadjacent protruding ends of the wheel-supporting shafts 14, 16, 18 and20. Consequently, when the main reset shaft 132 is in the position shownin Figure l of the drawings, which is the registering position, thewheel-supporting shafts 14, 16, 18 and 20 are retained in the positionshown in Figure 4 of the drawings, the number wheels then being engagedwith their respective driven gears. However, when the main reset shaftis rotated to the other position, the slide 138 is shifted to the leftfrom the position shown in Figure 1 of the drawings, causing rotation tobe applied to the upright shafts 145 which in turn axially shift thewheel-supporting shafts 14, 16, 18 and 20 to the right from the positionshown in Figure 4 of the drawings, whereupon the number wheels aredisengaged from their respective driven gears and are in condition forresetting. An important feature of the cam 134, in accordance with thepresent invention, is a shallow notch 134s and an oppositely positionedsmall promontory 134d which are formed in the cam for the purpose ofproducing a slight backing up of the slide 138 after it is moved to theleft by carnming surface 134a. This in tum causes a slight retraction ofthe wheel'supporting shafts 146 after they have been shifted tocondition the number wheels for the resetting operation. This isimportant because it has been discovered that the shifting of the shafts146 which in turn earns the pawls 88 and 9d of each of the number wheelsto resetting position produces a considerable side thrust on the numberwheels tending to crowd them together sufficiently to createconsiderable frictional resistance seriously interfering with theresetting operation. In accordance with the present invention this isentirely overcome by the slight retraction of the shafts 146 after theyhave been shifted to resetting position.

In order to pick up the number wheels, i.e. engage the projectingplunger 98 and return the number wheel to zero, there is provided inaccordance with the present invention a novel rotatable pick-up unit 104which is shown individually in Figure 7 and which is shown inassociation with a number wheel in Figures 4 and 5. The pick-up unit1114 is shown in the specific embodiment as a relatively thick dischaving a radial flange 110 in which a plurality of elongated arcuatepockets 112 are circularly arranged in spaced relationship adjacent theperiphery of the flange. The unit has a central opening 115 toaccommodate the supporting shaft and the disc is retained in assembledposition by the projection of the flange 11 1 into a semi-circularrecess formed by the overhanging lip 116 formed on the side of thelocking ring 56. As will be appreciated, this mounting arrangementsimplifies the assembly of the number wheel and its associated pick-upunit 104 whereby the pick-up unit 104 is securely held closely adjacentthe associated number wheei and at the same time is freely rotatablerelative to the number wheel.

The pick-up unit 104 is adapted to be rotated by means of a gear 1%which is integrally formed at the outside of the flange lit and isdished out as in dicated at 118 to accommodate the protruding hub 72 ofthe next adjacent nurnber wheel, thereby keeping the spacing of thenumber wheels to a minimum.

As previously mentioned, the counter or register is conditioned for aresetting operation by shifting the wheel supporting shafts, which inturn axially shift the pawls 90, causing them to pivot in acounterclockwise direction and thus extend the associated plungers 98.In

the event one of the elongated openings 112 is in alignment withtheplunger 98, the plunger will engage in'the opening. If it should happenthat one of the openings 112 is not in alignment with the plunger 98,the plunger cannot initially 11101 6 into one of the openings 112 andthis will merely further compress the spring 101. However, as soon asany rotation is applied to the resetting member 104 by rotating the gear106, one of the openings 112 will quickly be brought into registry withthe plunger 98 and the spring 101 will move the plunger 98 outwardlyinto engagement with the opening.

One of the purposes of using the elongated openings 112 in the pick-upunit 104 is that there is avoided any close fitting of the plunger 98relative to the opening 112 so that engagement therebetween will takeplace smoothly and there will be no tendency for the plunger to jumpover the openings 112 in the event the pick-up unit is rotated at arapid speed. The more important reason for the use of elongated openings112, however, is that they render it possible to insure a clearancebetween the plunger 98 and the edges of the openings 112 when the numberwheel is closely adjacent to its zero position, as explained more fullyhereinafter. This is important because the location of a number wheel atthe zero position aligns the lobe of the pawl 9%) of that wheel with thelongitudinal groove 122 of the wheel supporting shaft and, if thecounter or register has come to rest at the end of a counting operationprior to the resetting operation with one or more of the wheels veryclose to the zero position, it is possible that upon shifting the wheelsupporting shaft the lobe 92 of such a wheel will partially engage inthe longitudinal groove 122 at the same time that the plunger 93partially engages the resetting member. Thus it is possible to lock theresetting member against turning movement by connecting it through thepawl with the non-rotatable wheel supporting shaft thereby interferingwith the resetting operation.

In order to impart turning movement to the gears 106 for resettingpurposes, each of the gears 106 is meshed with one of the gears 124which are fixed to transverse shafts 126, 126. The shafts 126, 126'protrude through the side plate 10, as best shown in Figure 3, and areprovided at their outer ends with pinions 128, which mesh at oppositesides with the spur gear 130, which is rotatably mounted on the mainreset shaft 132, Thus, by turning the gear 130 a predetermined amount,it is possible to reset all of the number wheels to zero in oneoperation.

In order to obtain the full benefit of the elongated openings 112 in thepick-up unit 104, which is particularly desirable when one or more ofthe number wheels is adjacent the zero position, it is necessary to movethe main resetting gear 130 a predetermined exact amount and to time orcoordinate the setting of the pick-up unit 104 therewith. As explainedmore fully hereinafter, the main resetting gear 130 in the specificembodiment illustrated in the drawing is adapted to be moved during aresetting operation an angular distance corresponding to the distancebetween two of the notches in the notched member 184, which in turn isfixed to or is integral with the main reset gear 130. Since six suchnotches are provided, the main reset gear is turned exactly 60 duringthe resetting operation although it will be understood, of course, thatany other angular turning movement could have been selected. Once theprecise turning movement of the main reset gear 130 is established, itis possible to select suitable sizes of the gears 128 and 124 so thatthe pick-up unit 104 will be rotated sufiiciently to turn the numberwheels to zero position. This will require at a minimum a turningmovement of 360 plus the lost motion inherent in the use of theelongated openings 112. In accordance with the invention, the gearing isselected so that turning the main resetting gear 130 through apredetermined movement-in this nism.

assanas .case 60-will result in a turning movement of the pick-up units104 through an angle of 360 plus the distance between centers of twoadjacent elongated openings 112 or a multiple thereof.

Assuming that the proper gearing has been selected to cause turning ofthe pick-up unit 1'34 through 360 plus the exact distance betweencenters of the adjacent elongated openings 112 or a multiple thereof,then it is necessary, in accordance with the invention, to assemble thecounter or register so that when the main reset gear 130 is in the atrest position one of the elongated openings 112 will have its center inalignment with the plunger 98 when the wheel is at the zero position.This result is facilitated by constructing the pick-up unit 104 so thatit has the same number of elongated openings 112 as there are teeth inthe gear 106 forming part of the pickup unit 104. This is furtherfacilitated by utilizing gears 106 and 128 of the same size and mountingthem on the shafts 126, 126 in aligned relationship.

Since the arrangement of the gearing is such that the pick-up unit 194is always rotated 360 plus a multiple of the distance between centers ofthe adjacent openings 112, it will be appreciated that if the counter orregister is assembled so that the plunger 98 will be situated at thecenter of an elongated opening 112 when the wheel is in the zeroposition, this relationship will be maintained through the life of thecounter. It is thus assured that there can be no binding of the plunger98 with an elongated opening 112 in the event the number wheel is inposition such that the pawl 90 is partially engaged in the longitudinalgroove 122.

An alternative form of the pick-up unit which may be utilized inaccordance with the invention is shown in Figs. 8 and 9 of the drawingsand bears the reference numeral 304. The pick-up unit 304 is generallysimilar to the pick-up unit 104 except that it is of two-piececonstruction arranged to permit slippage when torque in excess of apredetermined amount is applied.

Referring particularly to Fig. 9, it will be noted that the gear 366which corresponds to gear 106 of the previously described unit, has anintegral hub 307 dished out at 318 to accommodate the protruding hub 72of the next adjacent number wheel and a central bore 315 to accommodatethe wheel supporting shaft. Supported against the side surface 30% ofgear 306 and positioned concentrically by the beveled shoulder 369 is aring 310 preferably formed of a plastic material such as a phenolicresin. The ring 310 has a flange 311 for engagement under theoverhanging lip 116 of the number wheel and is provided in its sidefacing the wheel with a series of spaced apart circularly arrangedpockets 312 for cooperation with the plunger 98.

The ring 310 is urged into frictional engagement with gear 3G6 by awasher 313 mounted on hub 307 and having a tongue 314 engaged in asuitable notch inthe hub 307. The washer 315, in turn, is engaged by thefingers 316 of an annular spring 317 which, in the specific embodiment,is fastened to the hub by four spun over spuds 319 integrally formed onthe hub 307.

The parts of pick-up unit 3% are so designed that, in the event the pawl9i? of the associated number wheel is partially in the longitudinalgroove 122 at the same time the plunger 98 is partially in one of thepick-up holes or pockets 312 which might effectively block rotation ofthe number wheel and the ring 310 of pick-up unit 304, the gear 3'06 canturn relative to the ring 3-10 and thus will not block operation of thecounter resetting mecha The fact that the associated number wheel is notturned during the resetting operation, in the event of such occurrenceis of no moment for the condition referred to can occur only when thenumber wheel is in substantially zero position and, therefore, does nothave to be reset. While the amount of friction between ring 310 and gear306 is insufficient to prevent operation of the counter resettingmechanism, it nonetheless is ample to prevent slippage when there is noabnormal blocking of the wheel or disc. I

It will be apparent from the preceding description that, in order toreset the register, all that it is necessary for the operator to do isto turn the main reset shaft 132 sufficiently to cause shifting of thenumber wheel supporting shafts and then impart rotation to the spur gearwhich in turn will cause rotation of the gears 106 which rotate thediscs 104, or 304, whichever is used, to cause them to pick up thenumber wheels and return them to zero position. Thereafter, the mainreset shaft may be again turned to shift the wheel supporting shaftsback to original supporting position, thus conditioning the register fora registering operation. Although all of the foregoing opera tions couldbe carried out manually by direct actuation, it may be preferred toarrange the counter for simple semiautomatic operation.

Turning now to the semi-automatic arrangement for turning the main resetshaft 132 and rotating the gear 130, this is shown in Figs. 2 and 3 ofthe drawings. The outer end of the main reset shaft 132 is provided witha coupling 154 for receiving a manually operated actuating member (notshown) which can be a crank or any other suitable means. The resettinggear 130 is rotatably mounted on a hub 131 which in turn is rotatablymounted on the reset shaft 132 between the coupling 154 and the sideplate 10. Fixed to the coupling 154 is a drive plate which, by reason ofsuch mounting, is adapted to turn with the reset shaft. Immediatelybehind the drive plate 180 and secured to the hub 131 is a control plate182. Behind the control plate 182 is the notched disc 184 which is fixedto the gear 130. In the specific embodiment, the notched disc 184 is, infact made integral with the resetting gear 130.

Pivo'ted on the outer face of the control plate 182 adjacent theperiphery thereof is a drive pawl 136, which is biased in a clockwisedirection by means of a spring 188. The drive pawl 186 has a noseportion 187 which is adapted to cooperate with a shoulder 190 on thedrive plate 180. Consequently, when the apparatus is in the positionshown in Figure 3, which is the position at the end of a countingoperation, the operator can turn the shaft 132 in a counterclockwisedirection and drive plate 180, by engagement of the drive pawl 186 withthe shoulder 190, will cause similar counterclockwise movement of thecontrol plate 182. This turning movement is continued by the operatoruntil the drive plate 180 is moved .sufiiciently so that the nose of alatching pawl 192 will fall into the notch 194 in the drive plate 180.As will be realized, the engagement of the latching pawl 192 in thenotch 194 will prevent reverse turning of the drive plate 180.

On the inner side of the control plate 182 there is pivoted a seconddrive pawl 200, the pawl 200 being pivoted in a clockwise direction intoengagement with the notched disc 184 by a spring 202. The direction inwhich the pawl 200 faces is such that, when the control plate 182 isrotated in a counterclockwise direction in the manner just described,the nose of the pawl 200 will merely ratchet over the edge of thenotched disc 184 and will impart no movement thereto. To insure that nomovement will be imparted to the notched disc 184 by reason of the dragof the pawl 200, there is provided a combination stop and no-back pawl204 pivoted at 206 on the frame and biased into engagement with thenotched disc .134 by means of a spring 208.

The control plate 182 is urged in a clockwise direction by means of arelatively heavy spring 219, which is con-- nected at one end 212 to theside plate 10 and which is connected at its other end to a projection214 on the control plate 182. Also connected to the control plate 182 at216 is the plunger 21% of a dashpot 220 which pivotally connected at itsouter end 222 to the side plate 10. The arrangement is such that thedashpot will control the speed of rotation of the control plate 182 in aclockwise direction but will provide little opposition to rotation ofthe control plate in the opposite or counterclockwise direction. Themain spring 210 is loaded by counterclockwise movement of control plate182. During this operation no movement is imparted to the resetting gear139 or the notched disc 184, this being effectively prevented by theno-back pawl 204. At the completion of the cocking movement of the partsjust described, the no-back pawl 204 is cammed to a releasing positionby the camming edge 183 which is adapted to engage a pin 201 on the pawl204, thus lifting the no-back pawl into the releasing position.

With the apparatus in the cocked position as just described, theoperation may then reset the register simply by pivoting the drive pawl186 so as to disengage its nose 187 from the shoulder 190 of the driveplate 180. While the exact mechanism for pivoting the pawl 186 todisengaging position may be subject to considerable variation, there isshownfor this purpose in the preferred embodiment a pivoted arm 230which is pivotally mounted on the side plate of the frame and having apawl 232 mounted for limiting pivoting movement at its outer end, thepawl 232 being biased in a counterclockwise direction by means of alight spring 234. A coupling 236 secured to the arm 230 can be used topivot the arm 230 in a clockwise direction to cause the pawl 232 toengage underneath the tail of the pawl 186 and thus disengage it fromthe driving plate 180 to cause resetting to take place.

Turning now to the resetting operation which takes place upon thedisengagement of the pawl '186 from the driving plate 180, it will beseen that immediately upon release of the pawl 186 the control plate 182is free to rotate in a clockwise direction under the influence of theheavy spring 210 at a speed controlled by the dashpot 229. Suchclockwise rotation of the control plate 182 will cause a concurrentrotation of the notched disc 184 because of the driving action of thesecond drive pawl 200 which is in engagement with one of the notches 185of the notched disc 184. This concurrent movement of the notched disc184 will not be prevented by the no-back pawl 204, because, aspreviously mentioned, this pawl has been disengaged to releasingposition by the cam shoulder 183 of the co'ntrol plate 182. Upon partialmovement of the control plate 182 and the notched disc 184 therewith,the no-back pawl 204 is again free to lock the disc 184 againstmovement, which it does as soon as disc 184 has rotated far enough tobring the next notch 185 into registry therewith, which occurs at thecompletion of the necessary amount of turning to effect completeresetting.

Upon completion of the resetting operation, the latching pawl 192 isdisengaged from the notch 194 of the drive plate 180 by reason of thecamming edge 236 of the control plate 182 which engages against the pin193 of the latching pawl 192 and thereby cams the pawl 192 in aclockwise direction to disengaging position. .Since the latching pawl192 is now disengaged from the driving plate 180, the operator is thenpermitted to turn the coupling 154- and hence return the shaft 132 tooriginal position shown in Figures 1 and 3. In this position the drivepawl 186 is re-engaged with the shoulder 190 of the driving plate 180and the wheel supporting shafts are shifted to re-engage the numberwheels with their driving gears, thus conditioning the apparatus for acounting operation.

It thus will be seen that there has been provided, in accordance withthe invention, a counter or register of improved construction havingmany advantages from an operational standpoint, which is particularlyadapted for commercial manufacture and use, and which will afford speedand simplicity of control compatible with accuracy and dependability.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and manyapparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be madewithout departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all mattercontained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawingsshall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

it is also to be understood that the language used in the followingclaims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features ofthe invention herein described and all statements of the scope of theinvention which, as a matter of language, might be said to falltherebetween.

I claim:

1. In a counter, a rotatable number wheel, a coaxially mounted rotatableresetting member having a series of circularly arranged elongatedopenings, a plunger on the number wheel for engaging in one of saidopenings, said openings being of greater length than the width of theplungers to permit relative movement thereof lengthwise of the opening,means for extending the plunger toward the resetting member during aresetting operation, and means for rotating the resetting member throughone complete turn plus at least the distance between centers of saidopenings.

2. In a counter, a rotatable number wheel, a coaxially mounted rotatableresetting member having a series of circularly arranged elongatedopenings, a plunger on the number wheel for engaging in one of saidopenings, said openings being of greater length than the width of theplungers to permit relative movement thereof lengthwise of the opening,means for extending the plunger toward the resetting member during aresetting operation, a gear fixed to the rotatable resetting memberhaving a predetermined number of teeth which is divisible by the numberof said openings, and means for rotating the gear through one completeturn plus at least the number of teeth corresponding to the distancebetween centers of said openings.

3. In the mechanism set forth in claim 2, a gear fixed to the rotatableresetting member having the same number of teeth as the number ofopenings in the resetting member and means for rotating the gear throughone complete turn plus at least the distance between adjacent teeth.

4. In a counter, a number wheel supporting shaft, a number wheelrotatably mounted on the shaft, a rotatable resetting member disposedcoaxially with the number wheel and having a series of circularlyarranged elongated openings, a plunger on the number wheel for engagingin one of said openings, 21 shiftable member in the number wheel formoving the plunger toward and away from the resetting member during aresetting operation, means on the shaft for actuating the shiftablemember and to cause it to withdraw the plunger away from the resettingmember when the number wheel is in zero position, means for rotating theresetting member through at least one turn during a resetting operation,and means for positioning the resetting member in a rotated positionwhere the intermediate portion of an elongated opening of the resettingmember is in alignment with the plunger of the number wheel when thenumber wheel is in zero position.

5. In a counter, a number Wheel supporting shaft, a number wheelrotatably mounted on the shaft, a rotatable resetting member disposedcoaxially with the number wheel and having a series of circularlyarranged elongated openings, a projectable member on the number wheelfor engaging in one of said openings, a shiftable member in the numberwheel for moving the projectable member toward and away from theresetting member during a resetting operation, said supporting shafthaving a notch located to receive the shiftable member and withdraw theprojectable member away from the resetting member When the number wheelis at Zero position, a gear fixed to the rotatable resetting memberhaving a predetermined number of teeth which is divisible by the numberof said openings, and 'means for driving the gear having an initialstarting position such that the intermediate portion of one of saidopenings is aligned with the projectable member when the wheel is inzero position and arranged to turn the gear through one complete turnplus the number of teeth corresponding to the distance between centersof at least two openings.

6. In a counter, a number wheel supporting shaft having a longitudinalnotch, a number wheel rotatably mounted on the shaft, a rotatableresetting member mounted coaxially with the number wheel and having aseries of circularly arranged elongated openings, a shiftable pawl iiithe number wheel adapted to engage in the notch of the supporting shaftwhen the wheel is in zero position, a plunger actuated by the pawl forengaging in one of the openings of the resetting member and arranged tobe withdrawn away from the resetting member when the pawl engages in thenotch of the supporting shaft, a gear fixed to the rotatable resettingmember having the same number of teeth as the number of openings in theresetting member, said gear and resetting member being positioned sothat an intermediate portion of one of said openings is aligned with theplunger when the wheel is in zero position, and means for rotating thegear through a multiple of the tooth distance of said gear greater than360 degrees.

7. In a counter, a resetting actuator movable through a predetermineddistance from an initial position, a number wheel supporting shaft, anumber wheel rotatably mounted on the shaft, a rotatable resettingmember disposed coaxially with the number wheel and having a series ofcircularly arranged elongated openings, a plunger on the number wheelfor engaging in one of said openings, a shiftable member in the number,wheel for moving the plunger toward and away from the resetting member,means on the shaft for actuating the shiftable member and to cause it towithdraw the plunger away from the resetting member when the numberwheel is in zero position, and drive means between the actuator and theresetting member for positioning the resetting member with anintermediate portion of one of said openings in alignment with theplunger when the wheel is in zero position and for rotating theresetting member through a distance which is a multiple of the distancebetween centers of adjacent openings greater than 360 degrees.

8. in a counter, a resetting actuator movable predetermined distances ina continuous direction, a number wheel supporting shaft, a number wheelrotatably mounted on the shaft, a rotatable resetting member mountedcoaxially with the number wheel and having a series of circularlyarranged elongated openings, a shiftable member in the number wheel, aplunger actuated by the shiftable memher for engaging in one of theopenings of the resetting member, means to shift the shiftable memberand withdraw the plunger when the wheel is in zero position including anotch in the supporting shaft, a gear fixed to the resetting memberhaving a predetermined number of teeth which is divisible by the numberof openings in the resetting member, and a gear train between theactuator and the last-named gear for rotating the gear through adistance of one turn plus the number of teeth corresponding to thedistance between centers of at least two openings, said gear train beingassembled to position the gear in a rotated position such that theintermediate portion of one of the openings is aligned with the plungerwhen the actuator is at rest and the number wheel is in zero position.

9. in a counter, a shaft mounted for axial movement into and out ofnon-resetting and resetting positions, a plurality of number wheelsrotatably mounted on said shaft, a rotatable resetting member mountedcoaxially with each of said number wheels and having a series ofcircularly arranged elongated openings, a plunger in each wheel forengaging in an opening of the associated resetting member, a pawlpivotally mounted in each wheel for actuating the plunger,' saidshafthaving a shoulder for pivoting the pawl to a plunger extending positionwhen the shaft is shifted to resetting position and a notch forretracting the pawl and plunger when the number wheel is in zeroposition, a gear fixed to each resetting member having a number of teethwhich is divisible by the number of openings in the resetting member,and driving means for rotating said gears from an initial positionthrough one complete turn plus the distance between centers of at leasttwo openings, said initial position being a rotated position in whichthe intermediate portion of one of said openings is in alignment withthe plunger when the wheel is in zero position.

10. In a counter, a shaft mounted for axial movement into and out ofnon-resetting and resetting positions, a plurality of number wheelsrotatably mounted on said shaft, a rotatable resetting member mountedcoaxially with each of said number wheels and having a series ofcircularly arranged elongated openings, a plunger in each wheel forengaging in an opening of the associated resetting member, a pawlpivotally mounted in each wheel for actuating the plunger, a pluralityof shoulders on the shaft for pivoting the pawls to plunger extendingposition when the shaft is shifted to resetting position, said shouldersbeing provided with a notch to retract the pawl and plunger when thewheel is in zero position, means for shifting the shaft to resettingposition and thereafter partially retracting the shaft to relieveexcessive side thrust on the wheel, and means for rotating the resettingmember through one complete turn plus the-distance between centers of atleast two of the openings therein.

11. In a counter, a shaft mounted for axial movement into and out ofnon-resetting and resetting positions, a plurality of side-by-sidenumber wheels rotatably supported on the shaft, pawl means in the numberwheels for actuation by the shaft when the shaft is shifted to resettingposition, and means for sequentially shifting the shaft to resettingposition and thereafter partially retracting the shaft while the shaftis in resetting position to relieve excessive side thrust on the wheels.

12. In a counter, a shaft mounted for axial movement into and out ofnon-resetting'and resetting positions, a plurality of side-by-sidenumber wheels rotatably supported on the shaft, pawl means pivotallymounted in each of the number wheels engaging with the shaft, aplurality of shoulders on the shaft for cooperation respectively withthe pawl means in the number wheels to pivot the pawl means when theshaft is shifted to resetting position, and means for shifting the shaftto resetting position and thereafter retracting the shaft a smallpredetermined amount to relieve excessive side thrust on the wheels. 7

13. ,In a counter, a shaft mounted for axial movement into and out ofnon-resetting and resetting positions, a plurality of side-by-sidenumber wheels rotatably sup ported on the shaft, pawl means in thenumber wheels for actuation by the shaft when the shaft is shifted toresetting position, and means for shifting the shaft to resettingposition including a cam, said cam having a surface for causinga slightretrogression of the shaft following movement thereof to resettingposition.

.14. In a counter, a shaft mounted for axial movement into and out ofnon-resetting and resetting positions, a plurality of side-by-sidenumber wheels rotatably supported on the shaft, means for restrainingoutward axial movement of the end number wheels, pawl means in thenumber wheels for actuation by the shaft when the shaft is shifted toresetting position, a cam follower operably connected to the shaft, arotatable cam asso- 13 axially mounted rotatable resetting member, meansfor selectively interengaging the number wheel and resetting member,means fior rotating the resetting member, and clutch means forming africtional engagement between the last named means and the resettingmember.

16. In a counter, a rotatable number wheel, a coaxially mountedrotatable resetting member having a series of circularly arrangedopenings, 21 plunger on the number wheel for engaging in one of saidopenings, and means for frictionally driving the resetting member.

17. In a counter, a rotatable number wheel, a coaxially mountedrotatable resetting member having a series of circularly arrangedopenings, a plunger on the number wheel for engaging in one of saidopenings, a gear in side-by-side relationship with the resetting member,and means forming a frictional engagement between the gear and resettingmember.

18. In a counter, a rotatable number Wheel, a coaxially mountedresetting gear, a wheel pick-up member 14 frictionally mounted on theresetting gear, and means for selectively engaging the number Wheel withthe wheel pick-up member.

19. In a counter, a rotatable number wheel, a coaxially mountedresetting gear, an annular pick-up member having a series of circularlyarranged openings mounted for rotation on the resetting gear, a plungeron the number Wheel for engaging in one of said openings, and springmeans maintaining the pick-up member in frictional engagement with thegear to prevent slippage therebetween except when movement of the numberwheel is prevented.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,764,959 Johnston et a1. June 17, 1930 2,161,919 Fraser June 13, 19392,568,709 Bliss Sept. 25, 1951

